The station is the nominal eastern terminus of the Chikuhi Line and is located 44.8 km from the opposing terminus of the line at Nishi-Karatsu; however, most trains continue past Meinohama for another 11.6 kilometers to terminate at Hakata.Local and weekday rapid services on the Chikuhi Line stop at this station. The station is also the terminus of the 13.1 kilometer Kūkō Line on the Fukuoka City Subway.[1]
Station layout
This is an elevated station with two island platforms serving four tracks, with the station building underneath. The inner tracks are used by the Fukuoka City Subway and the outer tracks by JR Kyushu, permitting ease of interchange. The station is staffed.
Track 2 and 3 are connected to Fukuoka City Subway Meinohama rolling stock maintenance depot near Shimoyamato Station
History
The private Kitakyushu Railway had opened a track between Fukuyoshi and Hamasaki on 5 December 1923. By 1 April 1924, the line had been extended eastwards to Chikuzen-Maebaru. In the third phase of expansion, the line was extended further east with Meinohama opening as the new eastern terminus on 15 April 1925. When the Kitakyushu Railway was nationalized on 1 October 1937, Japanese Government Railways (JGR) took over control of the station and designated the line which served it as the Chikuhi Line. On 22 March 1983, electrification of the track between Meinohama Station and Karatsu Station is completed and the track from Meinohama Station to Hakata Station is discontinued. The Fukuoka City Subway Number 1 Line (now the Kūkō Line) opens accompanied by a mutual operating agreement between it and the Chikuhi Line. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), the successor of JGR, on 1 April 1987, control of the station passed to JR Kyushu.[2]
Passenger statistics
In fiscal 2020, the station was used by an average of 4690 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 31st among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.[3] During the same period, the Fukuoka City Subway portion of the station recorded 36,269 passengers daily[4]
Surrounding area
The station is located a residential area lined with high-rise apartments. There is a bus terminal in front of the station, where many buses arrive and depart.
